Public outreach on illegal camping around Whistler is working—at least to make conversations happen, according to municipal staff.
At the Sept. 10 regular council meeting in Whistler, councillors pulled up a letter from a resident asking for urgency in addressing the issue, prompting staff to report that letters and outreach in response to previous correspondence are yielding some outcomes.
The Resort Municipality of Whistler’s (RMOW) general manager of corporate services and public safety, Ted Battiston, said there is quite a collection of stakeholders going for a site visit in coming days.
“[RMOW staff] went directly through the fire chief to the office of the fire commissioner, and we’ve had some success with that line of communication,” he said.
“On Sept. 25 we now have a planned site visit, a multi-jurisdictional site visit that will include BC Wildfire, the [Squamish-Lillooet Regional District], the office of the fire commissioner, the Conservation Officers, (RMOW) bylaw, and RCMP touring those locations."
The RMOW also drafted and sent a letter to the Ministry of Forests on the matter, which was sent off at the end of August—a little over a month after council had initially determined to step up lobbying the provincial government on the issue of illegal camping, which has been singled out for sanitary reasons and wildfire risk.
Valley Trail safety still top of mind
Summer might be over, but safety on local trails is still a priority for the RMOW.
At the Sept. 10 regular meeting, Councillor Jessie Morden pulled up a letter from a resident concerning trail-usage etiquette that drew attention to groups blocking the path and bikers passing at high speeds.
In speaking to the letter, Morden indicated she agrees with the suggestion more signage is required to educate visitors on proper trail etiquette.
“I appreciate that we have a small amount of signs on our Valley Trails so we can preserve the beauty, but I spent a lot of time this summer on my bike on the Valley Trail and I can’t tell you how many people I came across that were walking on the other side of the trail, and I would stop and tell them they had to be on the other side—and it was all foreign visitors,” she said.
Chief administrative officer Ginny Cullen said it was something staff could look into, while the RMOW’s manager of climate action, planning and development services, Dale Mikkelsen, noted signage is something municipal staff are exploring as the RMOW moves forward with its recreational trails strategy and budgeting for repair and maintenance.
Councillors voted unanimously to receive and refer the letter to staff for consideration.
